Lethal Force
by Writer With Sprite
Summary: When Sam gets kidnapped, his team rushes to find him. His captor, however, has other ideas, and isn't afraid to resort to violence - or even murder - to keep Sam his hostage. Formerly "missing in action." Updated!
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Brendan kept his gun pointed at Sam's back so he couldn't attempt to escape. Sam knew he wasn't in a good situation. Unarmed, in a hostile environment with a constant gun at his back and a sick kid. It had taken two days for the doctor to 'cure' Curtis and they'd changed locations twice. Now they were traveling to another location, the doctor dead and Sam as a hostage.

Notes: Looking for a Flashpoint beta! This is my first Flashpoint story and is mostly prewritten. Hopefully I'll be able to post regular updates especially once my laptop gets working again... hopefully today. Please let me know if Sam or anyone seems OOC. I look forward to getting your feedback.

** Spoilers for 5x02 - No Kind Of Life.

## break ##

Sam hesitated as his own weapon was pointed at him. Brendon glared at him, the gun forcing up against Sam's head. "You'll be good, right?" he asked, a sneer on his face.

"Y-yeah," Sam said. He tried to focus on Brendan. "Look, just-"

"No. Your team will keep looking for me because I hurt you, but if I have you, they won't look for me," Brendan said. "You staying here will only be more beneficial to me."

You really have no knowledge of how law enforcement operates, do you? Sam thought to himself but said nothing.

"Pick him up," Brendan gestured to Curtis.

Sam sighed, but picked him up. The doctor was on the floor, dead. The doctor had said Curtis would be fine now with only the antibiotics he had mentioned. That was probably the trigger; the doctor had outlived his usefulness. Why the man hadn't just killed Sam too he wasn't sure-but he was going to make sure this bastard paid for the doctor's death.

Brendan kept his gun pointed at Sam's back. Sam knew he wasn't in a good situation. Unarmed, in a hostile environment with a constant gun at his back and a sick (although thankfully not dying) injured kid. It had taken two days for the doctor to 'cure' Curtis and they'd changed locations twice. Now they were traveling to another location, the doctor dead and Sam as a hostage.

While Sam could tell Brendan cared deeply for his kid, that care extended to nobody else, apparently. The man had decided that Sam would be great to take his frustrations out on.

"Lay the kid down, gently," the man said. Curtis was asleep. Sam gently laid the man down on the floor and allowed himself to be cuffed to the van. The door slammed shut.

Shit.

## break ##

"Spike, any word?" Ed asked as Spike felt for the doctor's pulse.

"He's dead," Spike muttered. "No signs of Sam though, or the kid."

"Wait a second," Wordy called as he fished through a blue bag, "These are Sam's guns. He was here at one point."

"You think that Brendan took Sam with him?" Parker asked.

"Yeah," Wordy said.

"That makes no sense though. Why kill the doctor and take Sam-"

"I've got something!" Jules yelled from another room.

IF YOU LOOK FOR ME  
YOU WILL FIND A DEAD BODY  
OF YOUR FRIEND

IF YOU DO NOT LOOK FOR ME  
HE GETS TO BREATHE LONGER

"So he's still alive." Ed said, "And Brendan doesn't want us to look for him."

"Not an option, obviously," Parker smirked. Then he frowned. "But, we will need to be very, very careful now. He's already killed the doctor."

"I don't get it-why kill the doctor and not kill Sam?"

"My guess is that the doctor had outlived his usefulness. Let's hope Sam doesn't."

## break ##

Sam gently rested Curtis on the bed of the room before crossing his arms. "Brendan, you have to realize this can't last forever."

"Of course it can, I'm calling the shots now," Brendan told him.

"You and what army?" Sam retorted.

"Believe me, I have many connections - just waiting to hunt your team down if something should happen to Curtis."

"...What do you mean?"

"Are you stupid now too? I mean, if anything at all happens to my son, your team is gone. All I have to do is make a call, and my contacts will take your team out one by one... Leaving me to deal with you last."

"Right," Sam muttered. "So, let me clarify: I cannot leave the premises at anytime? I'm stuck here? Am I allowed to leave at anytime?"

"No, why would you be allowed to leave? You are going to stay here and make sure nothing happens to Curtis. Stop asking pointless questions."

"...You do realize my team is going to be a man down now, right? You realize they won't stop looking for me?"

"One man down is a benefit on my part," Brendan said, smiling. "I could of course, take another one out, if you'd like? They would come here, keep you company while watching Curtis."

"Are you threatening my team?" Sam asked, fists clenched.

"I'm not threatening your team unless you do something to anger me. Now, I want you to stay here, and take care of Curtis. I will be back later," Brendan said.

Sam bit his lip and watched as Brendan went out, locking the door behind him.

## break ##

Sam woke up to a blinding bright light in his eyes. "What the hell?" he asked.

"I think it should be me asking that," Brendan said, as he pulled the flashlight back a bit. "Why are you not watching my son?"

"Because he's asleep," Sam pointed out, "and I have to get sleep sometime."

"No you don't. People have gone days without sleep - you can too. Did you ever think something might have happened to Curtis while you were sleeping?"

"That's why I fell asleep right in front of the door," Sam said, rubbing his sore ribs and blinking.

"Yet I still got in and had to resort to blinding you to wake you up. You're not a very reliable guard..." Brendan said.

"Look, I had to get some sleep. I'd already gone without sleep for 48 hours," Sam pointed out. "If you want me to be a good caretaker for your son, I need sleep."

Brendan hummed, thinking. "How about a deal? If you can stay awake for another 48 hours, watching over my son, then I will allow you to talk to your boss."

"Deal," Sam said instantly, knowing Brendan would easily sleep deprive him for 48 hours anyway and if he could get a phone call into Spike and hopefully give the team some clues. "But I need some caffeine."

"Start taking care of my son, then we'll talk about getting you things," Brendan said.

Sam sighed, but said, "Thank you."

##break##

"What do you have, Greg?" Ed asked as he watched his friend come in with the package.

"I don't know yet, trace scanned it for fingerprints. Matched one Brendan, are we surprised?" Greg asked as he gently opened the package. "They scanned it for bombs, too," he added to Spike.

Ed frowned as he looked at the package. "Sam's vest," he muttered as he looked at the last name.

"Hey, Parker ?" Jules called. "There's someone here in the hallway who wants to see you..." she had a confused look on her face.

Parker walked up. "General Braddock, nice to meet you again."

General Braddock - Sam's father - crossed his arms. "You didn't think to tell me until now that my son was missing? Now, when my son has been missing for over 15 hours and I am his emergency contact? No, I have to hear it first over the police radio, and now on television? You didn't think calling me might be a good idea?"

Greg let out a sigh. "Mr. Braddock, with all due respect, our attention has been focused on finding your son. I sincerely apologize."

"Was this a random or targeted attack against Sam?" The General asked, ignoring Parker's apology and launching into full command mode.

"Randomized, as far as we know. Come into the war room and we'll debrief you."

## break ##

Sam stared at the wall, running over another thousand thoughts through his mind. He was so fucking bored, he wanted to get out. He wanted to get Curtis out. He was also starting to feel the effects of exhaustion.

He leaned his head against the wall, starting to count to a thousand again to stay awake. He had to remind himself that it would be extremely beneficial to stay awake.

Brendan hit Sam on the back of his head, "Did I say you could lean on the wall?"

"No, you told me too," Sam snapped irritably.

"I told you to stand near the wall, and stare at it if you wished. I did not, however, say you could lean on it," Brendan said.

Sam grimaced, trying hard not to swear at the man. "I'm sorry, I thought you said to lean against the wall."

"You need to listen better, has Curtis woken up yet?"

"Daddy?" Curtis shifted.

"Just now," Sam said. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to go eat something, because I cannot have you dying from starvation... and I suppose you can sleep for a few hours since Curtis is awake now. I'll have my friend here," he said, as another man walked up, "Watch both of you while I'm gone again."

"Thank you. Will I be able to talk to my team? Let them know I'm alive?"

"If I get back, and everything is the same - then yes, I'll allow you a three minute phone call," Brendan said.

"Thank you," Sam said. Maybe Spike could trace the call then. "Where should I sleep?"


	2. Chapter 2

_I think, when I go home and hold my daughters tonight... It's gotta be with clean hands. -Wordy, Clean Hands_

A/N: Thanks for the response to the first chapter! I've decided to update early (and for anyone following my other fanfics, yes, I will be updating them.) However, as a warning, I did write this on my iPod Touch since my laptop is currently inoperable. I did proofread it on a desktop but please let me know if I'm making any errors.

As a side note, Sam's father is most likely AU, you'll see the reason behind that later.

* * *

Jules sighed as she pulled on her shirt. The team was looking at more leads. The scene with the dead doctor had been very disturbing to her. How long would it be until Sam had outlived his usefulness to the bastard?

"Jules, we have more information," Greg said. "Ready to go to the war room?"

"Right now I'm calling to go shoot this guy," she muttered. "But yeah. Lets go."

"Oh, and just as a warning, Sam's father is here." Greg didn't look thrilled about that, but he knew that they had no reason to keep the farther away from the case. From what Jules understood his father was CIA so they couldn't even really

She nodded and walked over to the room. She instantly recognized the guy in question and wondered how Sam would feel. She knew that he had gotten along with the man more in recent years but didn't know if he wanted him here.

Of course with his title she really wasn't sure how much choice he had. Plus, as far as she was concerned, any hope was good hope.

She sat through the lecture, thinking of various things. Wordy sat there, too. She could tell he was paying attention but that his mind was also focused on Sam's father.

"Are you Kevin Wordsmith?" Sam's father asked as he approached them both.

Wordy nodded, crossing his arms. "Yeah, but what's it to you?" He questioned.

"I am sorry for how I came across when we first met. I appreciate you putting me in my place."

Wordy raised an eyebrow.

"Sam and I... I still think the military may have been a better choice for him but I understand that the SRU plays a viral role in our county's security as well. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Wordy nodded.

The general nodded his head and trailed Parker out of the room.

"He's changed a lot since that night we first met," Wordy grumbled. "I think."

She had to smile at that. "Wanna share with the team?"

Wordy shook his his head."it's really more SAMs story to tell," he remarked. "He would have to be the one to talk to you about it."

She nodded. "I understand." She smiled at him, " you're a great friend."

"Aw. Thanks. And you're so sentimental."

She snorted before sobering. "Wordy, do you think Sam..."

"He'll be fine Jules. He's lived through worse. I promise."

"I know. Let's get to work."

* * *

Sam collapsed to the floor in exhaustion. Brendan had told him he was his new babysitter for Curtis and that he had better help out where the kid needed. Brendan had held him hostage for 48 hours now and he'd only slept for three.

He was most definitely starting to feel the effects. Damn exhaustion was just so... Exhausting!

"Sam, Daddy bought Wendy's," Curtis said. Curtis was young enough to where he wasn't really  
Understanding certain things.

"Cool," Sam said as he pulled himself up. He was beyond exhausted. "What toy did you get?" He asked, noting the happy meal.

"I dunno actually," he frowned. "Oh, hot wheels."

Brendan came in, his gun at his side. "A word, Sam?" He asked. He hadn't drawn his gun yet but Sam could see that it was there.

"Yeah," Sam nodded as he pulled himself off the bed. "Thank you for letting me sleep."

The last thing he wanted to do was be nice to this bastard but he knew it was vital to his self-preservation.

"You're welcome," the man nodded. "I want you to put in a call to your team before we leave."

"Before... We... Leave?" Sam questioned. Shit, they were moving again. He needed to seriously up his escape plan-like now.

"Yeah, are you deaf or something?" Brendan asked as he rested his hand on his gun.

"No..."

"Good. Here is the phone. Dial whomever you wish."

Sam nodded as he took it and dialed Spike's number. "Boss, it's Sam."

"Sam-where the hell are you?" He asked as he grabbed his gear and plugged the phone in.

"I'm with Brendan and Curtis," Sam said, honestly not knowing what he could say without making Brendan angry. "We're going on a trip..."

"That's nice. Where too?"

"Somewhere warm where we can wear flip flops. Look, I can't talk for long..." Sam paused for a minute, trying to think of how to say that he was being held by two hostage takers.

"Sam, are you with him right now?"

"Yeah. There will be four of us going on vacation," Sam said. "So I guess we'll be booking tickets for three adults and one child."

"Let me talk to him," Brendan said. "Who is this?"

"They call me Spike. What do you want?"

"I want you to stop looking for Sam."

"I'm not so sure we can do that-"

"Oh, I'm sure that you can do that. Otherwise Sam will be sent back to you-in pieces."

Sam's eyebrows raised. This guy was escalating-not good. "It's always protocol to search for a missing teammate; we can't just pull off a search."

"Well then make some shit up, but if you come anywhere close to me, I will kill Sam - and more than that, I'll kill Curtis too. Sam already knows I'll kill Curtis and you if he tries anything funny so why shouldn't you get the same threat?"

Sam's eyes widened, now that was the first time that he had heard anything about him threatening to kill Curtis. Shit, the man had upped the stakes. While he doubted that he would kill his son, that had changed the game.

He had no doubt this bastard knew it.

* * *

"Come on, time to get in the van," Brendan said as he handcuffed Sam's hands and shoved him into the van. "Micah, cover him for me, would you?"

"Sure thing," Micah grinned as he grabbed a gun and gestured it towards Sam's head. "Listen up, bitch, unlike him, I hate cops, so don't mess with me. Get in the van."

Yikes. This had just gone from bad to way, way, worse.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I wanted to update sooner, but I visited my mother's place on Monday, and accidentally left my iPod there. She didn't get it back until today, and I had my story mostly typed on there (at least this chapter... it's all typed in bits and pieces), so, whoops! Thank you all so much for your reviews, I love them! I'll try and respond to them when I get a chance to breathe.

## break ##

Sam sighed as he looked out the window. There were so many, many things wrong with this situation. He wasn't as worried about getting hurt as he was about getting Curtis out of there. He had no doubt that the father loved the kid but threatening to kill him wasn't good.

Sam wasn't really sure how to handle his situation. How did one handle going getting away from a felon with a kid in tow - especially when the kid loved said felon?

"Sam?" Curtis questioned.

"Yeah?" He turned around. Four hours sleep in 48 hours was pretty shitty as far as he was concerned.

"Daddy doesn't like you... Why not?"

How do you answer that one? Sam grumbled to himself. "We, uh..."

"Are you mad at him because he hit me?"

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Wait, he hit you?"

Curtis nodded. "Yeah, I don't think he meant too. And Sam, I don't like Micah."

"Why not?" Sam needed to know if there was any bad blood between Micah and the kid.

"Because he hit me. Hey Sam? I'm bleeding."

"Shi..." Sam started to say, realizing that he was right in front of the kid. "Um... Hang on. Where are you bleeding?"

"Here." Curtis pointed to his nose.

Sam mildly cursed Micah as he grabbed some of the napkins from Wendy's. "Here, hold these over your nose Curtis."

"Why?" Curtis asked, doing as Sam ordered.

"Because it'll help," Sam explained patiently.

"Oh," Curtis said.

Sam grimaced as he started crawling around the van, thankful that Micah had taken off the handcuffs. He needed something that would help him take care of Curtis' injury.

The van pulled to a stop. The back door opened and Micah jumped in, pulling the door shut. "What happened to Curtis? He's bleeding!"

Sometime in the time Sam had been held hostage either Micah or Brendan had boarded up the back so that there would be no communication between them.

"I don't know, his nose just started bleeding. Did you hit him earlier?"

Micah frowned. "I don't see why that matters."

"Well, if he got hit in the nose by someone-"

Micah aimed his pistol at Sam. "I'm sorry, I don't recall saying you could have an opinion."

Sam bit his lip to keep from screaming. "Regardless of what you think he needs more than just napkins for that. Do we have any paper towels?"

He smirked and grabbed some. "Brendan's gonna beat the crap out of you."

Great, Sam thought. Something to look forward too for sure.

## break ##

"Brendan is escalating at least a little bit in violence... Hell who am I kidding, he's escalated a lot. Were you able to get any sort of trace on it? Is he still in area?"

"No, he's moved." Spike grabbed the map and looked at it. "You're looking at a map of where we are right now. Now, travel over a hundred miles, and you have Brendan."

"So he's on the move... Great. That will make him harder to track," Greg muttered as he leaned back against the wall.

"Not necessarily, it may actually make it easier. Especially since he's still in that damn van."

"He's still in the van?! Put an APB on it."

"I can do that but the second I do that, he will ditch jt like he ditched the car," Spike said. "Give me a bit. Let me see if I can find anything."

"Okay."

"And Boss, get some shut eye. You look like shit."

Greg frowned.

"I mean it boss. You need some sleep, that's what you're always telling us right?"

Greg signed. "I'll be back in an hour."

"Hey, at least now we don't have to worry about getting no use out of the couches," Spike teased. "We're getting plenty of use this week."

It was 48 hours into the search bit nobody had wanted to go home. They'd all wanted to stay and search for Sam.

Spike sighed as his fingers flew over the keyboard, the rhythms familiar and somewhat comforting. He breathed a sigh of relief as he looked out the window, he could finally do something.

## break ##

Jules was looking out the window as Wordy came up. "Are you. Okay?" He asked, trying to be comforting.

"I just don't understand how that... That... Thing can stand there and pretend to be so concerned about Sam!" She growled, looking out the door.

Wordy raised his eyebrows, "That thing...?"

She sighed, "you know exactly who I'm referring too. He's never cared about Sam before so why now?"

"I know. I have an uneasy feeling about it too." Wordy glanced over at the couch where they was someone else sleeping.

"Why does he get to be here? He doesn't really care about Sam. He's probably just get his -"

"Jules, I know," Wordy said with a tired sigh. "We need to talk to Greg, don't we?"

Greg paused, having just come from his conversation with Spike. "Talk about what?"

"The General Braddock," Jules grumbled, her arms crossed as she glared at Wordy.

Wordy sighed. "I'm just as pissed at him as you are, Jules. If not more. He decked out my eye too."

"Wait... what's going on?" Greg asked.

"Sam's father was verbally and physically abusive to him as a kid," Jules said as she went up and looked out the window, ignoring both of them. "Sam's only just now really started to get along with him, and even that's stretching it. I don't understand why he's here. The last time he saw one of us, he decked Wordy in the eye for being a part of SRU."

"Yeah, then I spent an hour explaining to him what SRU does and why it's important to national security," Wordy told Greg. "That calmed him down a bit. He hadn't shown up at Sam's before that."

Greg ran his hand through his hair, trying to process his thoughts. "How does Sam feel about his father now?"

"He wants to get along with him, really, he does," Jules said, coming back to the table and sitting down. "The problem is that anytime they're in the room together, there are explosive arguments."

Greg sighed. "You think we should let him come here and work on the case?" he asked, wanting his insight.

Wordy sighed. "I don't see how his help is hurting, and it'd be more difficult to keep him away..." he broke off, noticing Jules' glare. "That being said, we need to keep a close eye on him, and I don't think Sam should go home with him when he gets back."

Greg nodded. "Thanks. We'll talk more about this in the morning. Spike's gonna work to track down that van, now get some shut-eye."

## break ##

Micah grabbed Sam, pointing the gun right at him. "Now, we're gonna make a little pit stop at the gas station store when Brandon here gets some gas," he said, lifting Sam's chin up. "You gonna be good?"

"Yeah," Sam said, glaring at him, determined not to show any fear.

"Good, then you can go inside and pick up a few things for you and Curtis." The gun was aimed right at him. "But if you don't come back in one piece, we'll gut the kid."

Sam sighed and nodded. It was going to be a long week.

"One more thing," Micah said as he locked eyes with Sam. "If you do something I don't like - anything - I will kill someone on your fucking team. That means that if you don't listen to me, I'll kill... someone. Ed, Greg... Jules... Sam..."

Sam felt his eyes widening wondering how Micah knew all his team members.

"Yes, Sam, I know. Actually, you know what?" Micah asked.

Sam shook his head.

"I think I'm going to kill one of them now. How does that sound?"

"No, please don't -" Sam started to say.

"You know what? I don't like that answer, so I'll be killing Ed now," the man said as he started to move.

"No, I'll do what you want - just don't kill Ed," Sam pleaded.

The man turned towards Sam, grabbing him by his chin and shoving him to the ground. "You say another word and I'll kill someone else." The car pulled to a stop, and the next thing Sam knew, he was unconscious.

## break ##

Challenge: Is Micah actually going to attempt to kill Ed?

**Reward: **I'm going to make the next chapter a minimum of one thousand words, however, every person who reviews will up the word count by 100 words. When you review, be sure to specify who you'd like your 100 words on. **Must be someone currently in the story *Grins*

Hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Whoa! Thank you for the amazing response to last chapter! Seven people requested more Sam, and one person requested 100 words on Greg. I was going to keep Greg's section short, but he kind of had other ideas and well... it took off. I'm sure you won't mind though. And yes, I made Sam's section fairly long. Thanks for all your reviews.

Also, warning: the F bomb is dropped a few times in the chapter.

* * *

Greg sighed as he walked away from the table, a bad feeling in his gut. He had known that Sam hadn't been on the greatest terms with his father but hadn't thought that his father had abused him. Now he realized that he was wrong and that he should have not been so assuming.

What had happened, he wondered, that had made Sam want to reconcile with his father? From what Wordy had said, when Sam first joined the team, he hadn't wanted to talk to his father at all. Recently, however, he had been trying to get along better with his father. Wordy had confessed that he wasn't really sure why Sam was trying to reconnect.

_"He always texts me when he's going," Wordy said, "and always tells me to come up with some excuse for him to leave soon. One time he texted me but didn't check in like he said he would. I got there and he and his father were in the middle of an argument and yelling and screaming at each other. ..." he looked out the window. "And yeah, he said we should tell you this if he ever went missing, boss."_

_Greg raised his eyebrow at that. That didn't seem like their sullen Sam, but he was very glad that Sam had given them 'permission' to talk._

_"Did he expect to go missing?" Greg had asked._

_"Nah, I don't think so. Just wanted us to be aware. Anyway, they argue constantly. But I think he'd be OK if his father helped search. I think. Anyway, his dad's like CIA or something, so getting him removed from the search is probably not going to be worth the pain it would cause.."_

_"Fine, we'll leave him on- for now," Greg had finally concluded, "but I want you guys to keep tabs on him, and he doesn't go home with Sam if there's tension going on. Keep me posted."_

Greg sighed as he finally collapsed on the couch. He wanted to search for Sam, but he couldn't do Sam any good if he was totally worn out. Jules was curled up with a blanket, and Wordy was asleep on the floor. Spike and Winnie were the ones manning the station now-wait.

He got up, walking over to Winnie. "Winnie, can you do me a favor?" he questioned.

She nodded.

"Can you please do some digging on General Braddock? Something tells me his record isn't as clear as we'd like it to be."

"On one condition, boss. You go and get some sleep," she said.

"I look that bad?" Greg asked.

She smiled. "Yes, now go get some rest."

* * *

Early the next morning - 4:00 a.m.

"I'm going to go head out and get some breakfast," Ed said as he talked to Greg. "I figure at this hour whatever's open will work."

Greg nodded. "Be careful, I have a bad feeling about this case all the way around."

"Yeah, me too. Are you sure we have to let The General come in?"

"Until I get a way to kick him off, he's assigned himself to the case," Greg said. "At least he hasn't come in this morning yet. Why, did he piss you off too?"

"Yeah, he told me that Sam didn't belong in the SRU and when he got back he was going to make him go back to the military."

Greg groaned. "I'll talk to him when he gets in. Be careful."

Ed nodded as he walked down the hallway, relieved to have gotten an hour of sleep. He let his thoughts drift to Sam, wondering where he was, if he was alive, hungry, cold-if he'd gotten any sleep at all, if he could handle Brendan's seemingly escalating violence.

He knew Sam would have to be careful, it would be very difficult to escape with a kid in tow. That's what made it so important for them to find Sam... he'd have a really hard time escaping with Curtis, especially because by all accounts, Curtis seemed to love his father.

He was about to place his hand on the car door to open it when suddenly he heard a voice behind him. "Don't. Even. Move."

Ed turned around anyway to find a gun pointed at him.

"My name is Daniel McLendon. I've been sent here to kill you."

* * *

Sam awoke from his sleep, glaring at the surrounding area before realizing that he actually couldn't see anything.

He tried to shift his hands-nothing. He winced as he felt some pain in his jaw, realizing that he had been gagged.

Immediately he perked up. He was obviously somewhere where he wasn't supposed to be seen or Heard.

A thought crushed him in the vice-like grip. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck... This was not good. Not good at all.

Ed was dead, dead and it was his fault. He'd been stupid (although what he had done wrong he still did not know). He took a deep, steadying breath.

It couldn't be true, he tried to reassure himself. It just couldn't be true. He took a deep, sharp inhale, gasping for air.

No, no, no no...

The door opened and he heard a crushing voice snarl, "Look you bitch, I didn't ask you what the hell you thought - you fucking understand me?"

"I don't want you!" He heard Curtis sob. "I want Daddy, or Sam, but not you!"

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up." The man growled, and Sam finally recognized his voice as Micah. "You sit in the corner. You can't have your Daddy right now."

Sam felt the restraints on his arm being loosened and then he felt the gag being loosened.

"Time to wake up and do your job," Micah snarled. "Oh, and in about two hours, they'll be airing that Ed is dead."

Sam felt crushing guilt surround his chest. Shit, shit, shit shit no no no no. "Why?" He asked, a thousand mixed emotions running through his brain.

"Why?" The man asked, obviously gloating. "Because I hate cops and I hate you-you really think I needed an excuse to waste one?"

"Please-"

Micah jammed his gun up against Sam's head. "Just give me a reason, you little whore. Just give me a reason."

Sam hardly dared to breathe and opted not to say any words, his heart beating faster with every breath.

"I don't believe I asked for your opinion. That really pisses me off that you would go to such great lengths to displease me."

Sam was chewing on the inside of his lip, wondering what the hell he was going to do. Honestly he could care less about displeasing this bastard but he knew the guy would have no problems killing off some of his team if he pissed the guy off.

"So, your job will be to watch Curtis. You may have noticed we changed cars. This will allow us to not be tracked by your team so easily," the man said. "Though I would imagine they're busier mourning the death of their friend than looking for you."

Curtis spoke up. "I don't wanna be here."

"Shut up, you don't have a choice," Micah said as he looked at the kid. "Be good for Sam." He paused. "Sam, you will now be the full-time caretaker of the brat. I want you to make him some food, you can have a soda or something but you're still not eating."

Sam nodded as he stood up, the will to fight suddenly leaving him. He'd somehow make sure he wasn't here forever... That they weren't here forever. He just didn't know how.

Two hours later, after Curtis had finished dinner and was sleeping on the couch, Micah had come back in. "The brat's sleeping?" he asked.

"Yeah, I thought it would be okay if he slept," Sam said, getting up off the couch wearily. He hadn't dared to let himself rest, having already spotted the several security cameras throughout the RV.

Micah just chuckled. "You really think you get to think, don't you? Want me to hurt him because of that?"

"No!" Sam said, moving closer to in front of Curtis. Brendan had already hurt Sam pretty good because he'd fallen asleep. His leg was in pain and he had been limping around all day. Sam was fairly sure that Brendan was ex-military. '

"You do realize how Brendan feels about you, right?" Micah asked, grabbing Sam by his chin. "You to him are like a prisoner in those underworlds that they do nothing about. He was stationed in the worst of the worst places in the military, as was I. I have no problem doing much worse... tortures... to you. Oh! That reminds me of why I'm here..." he pressed play on the remote.

"We have just been informed by the Police Strategic Response Unit that one of their own, Ed Lane, has tragically passed away. Many of you are aware that Sam Braddock, a member of the SRU, was abducted by Brendan Daniels. Police believe that the same person who kidnapped Sam Braddock killed Ed Lane. Ed Lane passed away at 4:41 a.m. in what appeared to be a targeted incident," the woman said.

Sam felt his knees give way as he sank to the foor. No, no, no, no-

"You can see photos here from the crime scene that were given to us by SRU where the bullet was fired. It is believed that Ed Lane was leaving the building of the SRU around 4:35 A.M. he was confronted by a man in a white jacket who had a gun. You can see from the security footage here-"

Sam watched in horror as he one of his best friends crumpled to the ground, the bullet lodged firmly in his body. Tears swelled in his eyes.

"Why?" he asked the other man. "Why?"

Micah smiled. "I told you that I never need an excuse to waste a cop. You believe me now?"

Sam hung his head and nodded, a thousand thoughts running through his brain as the television caster asked anyone with information to come forward. Mostly what was at the start of his brain was no, no, no, no... and the fact that he was responsible of the death of one of his best friends.

Micah grabbed him, "I'm sorry, did I say that you could sit down? Someone needs to be taking care of Curtis."

Sam nodded and stood up, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. A thousand thoughts ran through his head, none of them pausing long enough to really allow him to think.

Curtis shifted on the couch, suddenly waking up. "No, no, Micah, no no no!"

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Sam said, noticing Micah get agitated by the kid as he jammed his gun closer towards him. "Hey, breathe, alright?"

Micah jammed his gun at Sam's back. "You better shut that kid up. Bring him to the bedroom you guys will share. Tomorrow we'll be going to the store, we'll have crossed enough territory then, and I want you on your best behavior. In the meantime, Sam, no fucking speaking, alright?"

Unsure what to do, Sam nodded. Curtis reached up for Sam and Sam obliged, picking the kid up. The kid clung to his neck as Micah practically shoved him in the room, locking the door.

"Sam, I'm bleeding again," Curtis said, showing Sam where his cut had started bleeding. Sam dragged himself over to the first aid kit and methodically got out the bandages.

He and Curtis had to get out of there. The only question was how.

I'm sorry, Ed, Sam thought as he wrapped Curtis' arm in a bandage. I'll make sure to get this kid out... I know that's what you'd want.

* * *

Whoa! Thanks for the amazing response! Here is your challenge for next chapter: is Ed really dead?

I've upped the stakes: Review and get 150 words for the character of your choice added on! I plan on doing the initial 1,000 words, of course, and probably more, but hey, I love the reviews. (Not sure Sam does though...)Also... if you specify what you want to see happen next... I can try and add a scene!

Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Here's how the requests broke down:  
- 150 words for Jules x1  
- 150 words for Wordy x1  
- 150 Words for Spike x1  
- 150 words for Sam x04 (some for Sam whump, some for Sam - at 600)  
- A few with no requests - but with the name 'Ed' - x03 (450)

Thanks for the reviews... I hope you like long chapters! Also, a huge thanks to Torn Apart Dinosaur for her help with the Brendan and Micah characters.

## break ##

4:15 a.m.

Ed looked at the man, frowning. "Do you realize that most killers generally don't Id themselves before making a kill?"

The man smiled. "Also, technically, you'll notice I was saying I have been SENT here to kill you. Are you connected to the Sam Braddock case?"

Ed nodded. "Yeah."

"I think it would be best if I faked your death then. Mind radioing your supervisor? We only have a few minutes to do this."

Ed nodded, and within seconds both Wordy and Greg were down there.

"Spike's messing with the audio," Greg said. "Agent, nice to meet you again. Still working undercover I see?"

"Yeah, and you arresting me awhile back really helped cement my cover, but enough pleasantries. I need to kill Ed."

"I'm wearing a bulletproof vest," Ed volunteered, having put it on after noticing how uneasy Greg had been about him going out for coffee.

"Good idea. Okay, Greg-you and your man might want to move. Spike still good at editing tapes?"

"Yeah." Greg moved away with Wordy.

"Good. Ed, reach for your car, like you're about to get in," the man said.

Ed did so, not nodding his head in response to the man's words. He didn't want to clue anyone that instructions were being given.

The man fired a shot from his gun, hitting Ed squarely in his vest.

"You're the worst hit man ever," Wordy complimented as Ed fell to the ground.

"You're damn lucky I am," the man said as he walked over towards Ed, resting his hand on Ed's pulse.

"Good, he's dead. I'm going to flee the scene of the crime and meet you upstairs. Loser buys coffee."

## break ##

Sam groaned as he shifted on the covers, checking his watch. Only two hours of sleep?

"It's late if that is what your little brain is trying to process," Brendan said, coming into the room.

Sam nodded as he pulled himself up. "What do you want?" he asked sleepily. "Is Curtis okay?"

"No he isn't, and it's your fault."

"How the fuck is it my fault?" Sam exploded. "You fucking said I could sleep, damn it - and you locked me in another room! What are you going to do, kill another one of my teammates?" he snapped, instantly wishing he could take back his words.

"That's a perfect idea, if it'll keep you in line," Brendan said, smirking.

"No, no, no, no," Sam said with a shake of his head. "I'm sorry, what can I do?"

"Nothing now - what's done is done... but in the meantime, you can listen to what I say from now on, and take care of Curtis," Brendan said.

"Right... Where is Curtis?" Sam questioned.

"In the next room over, obviously. Clean him up, he shouldn't need stitches - Micah didn't hit him that hard."

"Not a problem," Sam said. "If I can make a recommendation-if you don't want Curtis to bleed, don't let Micah near him."

"I don't fucking want to hear your opinion, leave before I do something you won't like."

Sam growled and moved towards the room, entering the room to see Micah next to Curtis. "Get away from him," he snarled.

Micah shoved Curtis back, and stood up, "What was that? It almost seemed like you were... ordering me to do something?"

"N-no, just a suggestion - I just need space to treat Curtis..."

Curtis started crying. "I want Micah away from me."

"Shut up, otherwise I'll kill you both," Micah snarled at the man.

"I don't wanna die!" Curtis sobbed.

"Hey, hey, Curtis - it's okay," Sam reassured, "It'll be fine, alright? I gotta get you patched up."

"Micah mean, stop being mean to Sam, Sam is nice," Curtis said.

"It'll be okay, right, Micah?" Sam asked as he moved for the first aid kit.

"What you want me to lie now? You're becoming awfully bossy Sam."

Sam let out a breath and sighed, looking at Micah. "Can you please leave us alone?"

"Is that another demand?" Micha said, coming up to Curtis and slapping him.

Sam stepped in front of Curtis. "Look, please don't hurt the kid-"

"So you're saying I should hurt you instead?" Micah asked, turning to face Sam. His expression was thunderous and his arms were crossed.

"I-"

"No problem," Micah said, taking out his gun, and hitting Sam on the side of the head, before he kicked him in the shin.

Sam toppled to the floor, grabbing the table on the way down. Curtis looked terrified and yelled, "DADDY!"

"Stop screaming, you little shit, your father left for the day, that is why Sam is here."

"Don't hurt Sam!" Curtis yelled.

"Curtis, it's fine," Sam coughed weakly. "I'll be fine."

"See, he's fine," Micah said, as he kicked Sam in the stomach. Sam doubled over to protect himself.

"You do realize you're assaulting a cop, right?" Sam asked.

"You're not a cop anymore," Micah sneered.

"You do realize assault is against the law right?"

"Not against you," he said, hitting Sam in the face.

Sam snarled, "Every assault is against the law, you bastard."

"No swearing in front of Curtis, Sam you're a horrible babysitter," Micah told him.

"No! Sam is great! He's way better than you!" Curtis said. "I want Sam, not you! Go away, you're bad!"

Despite the seriousness of the situation Sam could hardly refrain from chuckling. "Micah, I can take care of Curtis," he said, rubbing his sore jaw as he sat up.

"Be my guest, but if you fuck anything up, then your team will pay," Micah said as he walked out of the room.

## break ##

Jules bolted upright as Ed, another man, and Greg all came back into the room at once. Wordy sunk onto the nearby couch, rubbing his eyes and muttering something about sleep being a myth.

"Spike, we need you to run the video for the security footage down at the garage and tell us what you think," Greg remarked.

Spike glanced up. "Garage four?"

"How did you know?" Ed asked.

"Because you just went down to park your are and I'm guessing you heard or saw something..." Spike ran the footage and frowned. "Okay, so obviously you're not dead."

"But we need him to be," the agent said. "I need it to run to the media in..." he checked his watch, "two hours. We need to falsify a report on Ed's death. I was hired to kill him."

"By who?" Sam asked.

"Brendan. I think I can get your agent back but it's going to take some work. You have another computer? We need to pull up General Braddock and Micah Sampson."

Spike frowned at that, "General Braddock?"

"It's a long story. How long will it take you to run the footage?"

"Twenty minutes or less if you want a clear edit."

"Do it."

Spike nodded, not liking the idea of liking Ed's death and airing it to the news media. He had a thousand questions, like why did they need to fake Ed's death? What was going on? Why was Ed supposed to be killed? Of course, Thank God Ed hadn't really been killed had floated through his mind as well. He wondered if it was tied in with Sam's case, and if it was, why. And how so.

And he wasn't liking the outcomes he was coming up with. All of them lead to Sam believing that Ed was dead.

Unless... unless somehow, Spike could slip a message in the news report... his brain got to thinking about different ways to do that.

## break ##

Wordy sighed as he glanced at the printed out news and looked at Jules. "I think I figured out why Sam's been trying to reconnect to his father."

"Why?" Jules asked.

"His father recently adopted a son..." Wordy muttered. "Sam probably wanted to make sure that the kid didn't go through the same thing that he did. That's why he kept going back to his father's place."

"Yeah, that's what this article says too. I mean, about the kid, anyway," Winnie spoke up.

Wordy ran his hand through his hair. "I need to talk to Boss."

Jules nodded, "I'm going to find some coffee, thanks, Winnie." She walked over to the coffee pot, not really liking what was going on. The killer - well, not the killer, the undercover agent who had been sent too kill Ed. Thank God he hadn't, she couldn't take anything else right now.

She ran her hand through her hair, thinking of Sam as she leaned against the sink and closed her eyes. She really missed him, she really did. She hoped he was okay. They'd gotten his gun and his badge sent back, what kind of person did that?

She also wanted to know what all the 'killing Ed' had been about. They were going to debrief soon about it but honestly that wasn't soon enough for her. She needed to know.

If the case was connected to Sam's, what sick mind games was that bastard playing with him? She sighed as she glared at the coffee pot. It really needed to boil faster.

## break ##

Wordy paused, watching the boss talk to the man he'd silently dubbed 'the false killer.' He was worried about Sam, just like everyone else on the team.

"General Braddock has been working with us in our investigation," the man was saying to Ed and Greg.

Wordy had to step in then. "Wait, what?"

"General Braddock has been helping us with our investigation, as Hastings - the guy who was trying to waste him - is wanted in international law. I had forgotten he had another son in law enforcement, he never talks about Sam. That said, I knew he and Sam were related the second that I saw Sam."

"Wait, you've seen Sam?" Wordy asked.

"Yes, and he's okay. That's why we're staging Ed's death, though," the man said. "I don't know what Sam did to piss Micah off, but Micah decided it would be a good idea to kill one of his teammates to keep him in line. That news report needs to go live in..." he checked his watch - "about an hour. I'll try and slip it to Sam that you're still alive," he nodded to Ed.

"Is Sam holding up okay?" Ed asked.

The man nodded. "Yeah, something you should know - they're starving and sleep depriving him to make it more difficult for him to escape. I think he's gotten about five hours since he's been missing, and he's been missing for about what-three days now?"

"What about eating?" Ed asked.

"I'll make sure he gets something, I'm supposed to meet and watch him tomorrow. You'll love this, his new role in the organization is to 'watch over Curtis.'"

"With Hastings behind bars, is there even an organization to be had?" Wordy asked.  
The man nodded. "Yeah. It's rather large. Unfortunately, from what I've been told and understand, they've got Sam held captive right in the middle of the ring. It will be very difficult to get both him and Curtis out, and will require a lot of coordination. I'll need both your cells, I'll call you as soon as I see him and we'll work something out for getting everyone out of this shitty situation alive. And keep an eye on General Braddock. I assume he's on the up and up, but I don't like that he didn't tell you about him being on that case."

"We will," Ed nodded. "Thanks. We'll run the report on the six a.m. news."

"Great. Keep in touch."

Ed turned to Wordy. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better, now that we know Sam is alive, but I still say sleep's a myth."

"Look, there isn't anything we can do until he gets in touch with us. I know him, I've worked with him," Greg said, "So I vote we all take a nap for two hours until I get ahold of him."

"I hate to not search for Sam-"

"Wordy, he's okay right now. There's nothing more we can do. Let's take a break so we can hit it hard tomorrow, okay?"

Wordy nodded, "Okay."

"Great. I'll let the team know to get four hours of sleep. I call the green couch."

## break ##

A/n: Phew, 2,000 + words! I can't believe I got 11 reviews, and I'll try and reply in the morning.

I think I got everyone's favorite character in there, but if not, please let me know! Here's the deal this time: Review and mention your favorite character - 100 words added on for your favorite. Review and answer the challenge: 150 words added on to your favorite. 175 words added on if you answer both! Yes, I like bribes. So sue me. Actually, please don't. I don't have money for that.

Challenge: How is General Braddock involved in the other case? What was the clue in the media report (aired in the last chapter) about the death being a fake?

Thanks for your reviews! Can't wait to read them!  
**  
**


	6. Chapter 6

Whoa! Thanks for the tremendous response! I'm so glad that you guys are liking the story. I've tried to include everyone's favorite characters that they requested, hope it works out. The end result: A great chapter for you guys... maybe not so much for Sam, though...

* * *

_FOUR DAYS MISSING _

Sam grimaced as he looked at Micah. "It's five o'clock in the morning - right?"

"Yeah," The man nodded. "And yes, we are stopping at the gas station now. That's why gas stations are open twenty four hours, you bloody moron."

Sam rubbed his eyes. God, he needed more sleep... Really he did. Suddenly a pang of guilt rushed through him. How dare he live when Ed was dead?

"You're going to go in and get whatever you need for Curtis and you. This gas station has a store so I expect you to buy whatever you and he need for the next 48 hours... Are we clear?"

Sam nodded.

"And if you do anything suspicious at all I'm going to whip your ass," the man snarled, "before I kill Curtis. And you better not use any damn phones or do anything funny with the cashier."

Sam nodded, already plotting how he'd get a note to the cashier.

"You will be allowed to eat whatever food you purchase here... So stock up, because you will be stuck with us for awhile."

Sam grimaced inwardly but nodded his consent.

"We'll be there in twenty minutes, sit tight."

Sam nodded as he calmly walked to Curtis' room and grabbed the bag that Micah had allowed him to pack. Brendan, under the illusion that Sam would stay awhile, got him some clothes, a notebook and a few other necessities - nothing, of course, that would help him escape.

Sam's eyes widened-shit, whoa. Micah had said whatever he needed... A smile formed Sam's lips. This would be good.

* * *

Sam swallowed as he looked at the piece of paper he intended to slip to the cashier. He only hoped that the cashier would take care of it. He fished out the last $5 bill out of his wallet. A bribe would never hurt.

He sighed, not really sure what to get for Curtis. He hasn't taken care of a kid in forever. As a result, when he wandered around the store, he picked up various different things that had pictures of kids on them. Jules would have shot him. Hands down.

Thinking of Jules made Sam wince as he grabbed the peanut butter. He couldn't believe that Ed was dead, and it was all his fault. His mind flashed back to the news report once more.

-Ed Lane has tragically passed away at 441 a.m.- Sam frowned. That was the same code as "Officer okay." Well, code 41, anyway. Hmm. He wondered if that was a coincidence, or if Ed's death had been faked? He prayed that Ed's death had been faked, he didn't think he could take Ed's death right now.

But there had been the video. That evidence had been indisputable. He shook his head and made his way to the counter, setting down his basket. "Is there a phone I can use?" He asked, not seeing Micah around. Maybe he could call his boss and let him know where he was, if nothing else.

That hope was quickly smashed when the cashier spoke up. "You can use the one outside. It's twenty-five cents a call."

Sam glanced at The door, seeing Micah come in. Damn it. "Never mind," he muttered.

The cashier, a bubble-gum chewing girl of probably 16, only rolled her eyes. Sam had serious second thoughts about handing her the note.

"That's $60.99," she said in a lazy tone.

Sam swiped the credit card and signed for MicAh. "Five dollar tip if you take care of this," he said as he slid over the note and money.

"Yeah, sure," she said with a roll of her eyes. Sam took the bags outside and loaded them into the back of the RV. Before he got up in, he cast a look of longing at the phone. He needed to figure out how to get out of there soon.

* * *

Curtis glanced at his father. "Daddy?" he asked, biting his nail nervously.

"Yes, Curtis?" his father asked, smiling happily back at him.

"I don't like Micah."

His father turned to him. "Why not?"

"Because he's mean, Daddy. He hitted me. That's not nice, you told me hitting people isn't nice." Curtis scowled as he looked out the window. "Plus he hitted and kicked Sam, a lot."

Brendan looked out the window, his mind lost in thought. Curtis turned to frown. "Daddy, why are you and Micah so mad at Sam? He's really nice. He's a good babysitter. Can he stay with us forever? I want him to stay with us forever."

"You like him as a babysitter, hmm?"

"Yeah. I don't think Micah likes him, though. Why doesn't Micah like him?" Curtis questioned. "Because it makes me sad that Micah hits him. I think that Sam gets pain when Micah hits him."

"Well... Sam used to be a cop, and Micah doesn't like cops," Brendan explained, trying to think of any way possible to say something to the kid.

"Oh," Curtis said, accepting it as if it was the most plausible idea. "Hey Daddy? Does Sam still want to be a cop? Because I like having him as my babysitter."

"It doesn't matter what he wants," Brendan said as he looked out the window. "He'll be your babysitter." He doesn't get a choice.

"Cool," Curtis said happily, oblivious to the tension between the adults as he stared out the window.

Meanwhile, Brendan was having very different thoughts, such as - _I'm going to kill Sam Braddock._

* * *

Wordy glanced at Jules, who was at the station with Winnie. Both women were typing something up on the computer. "What's going on?" He questioned.

"We're doing some digging, trying to figure out why General Braddock is on the case, and what he's been up too recently," Winnie responded as she typed some information into the computer. "I can't get into any of his stuff, his clearance is too high."

"We would just ask him, but he's kind of gone for the day, so that's the problem..." Jules sighed.

"Are you okay, Jules?" Wordy asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She flinched away. "I'll be fine once we find Sam." It was around 3:00 in the afternoon, and the man who was supposed to have contacted them on the case - the guy who had been sent to kill Ed - hadn't done so yet. Daniel McClendon.

Damn, Wordy sure hoped the guy was on the up and up. He assumed that the man was - after all, otherwise their friend would be dead - but something still didn't seem right.

General Braddock walked up to the counter. "Where's Greg?" He asked.

It did slightly annoy Wordy that the only one that Braddock would speak too was Greg, but then again, considering Jules and Wordy's history with the man, he felt it was for the better.

"In the war room. D-" Before Wordy could even finish his sentence, the General was walking across the hallway.

Winnie frowned. "I think I've found something else. This is the son that General Braddock adopted, see?" Winnie asked. "It's not Curtis..."

"I hear a 'but' coming," Wordy said as he looked over his shoulder. "Holy shit, that could be Curtis' twin brother."

"It probably IS Curtis's twin brother," Jules smirked.

Winnie nodded. "Yeah. It is."

"Wait-what?" Jules asked. "No, come on. That only happens in books, or movies... or fanfiction, especially fanfiction."

Winnie and Wordy stared at her. Winnie decided to ask the question first. "Fan...Fanfiction?" she asked, sounding out the word.

"Yeah... It's... When you have a favorite television series and you read stories that other people write about it. Like know how I can't get enough of Harry Potter?"

"Yes," Wordy groaned instantly.

"I've found out that there is Harry Potter fanfiction online, and now I am content," Jules said with a brief smile on her face.

"Oh, so that's why you stopped complaining about the ending of the seventh book," Wordy said. "I - nevermind, anyway, what's this about Curtis' twin?" he questioned Winnie.

"It looks like Curtis was removed from the house two years ago because his father took a bullet wound. For some reason, Curtis' brother was removed from the house. Curtis was moved back in with the grandmother, but the grandmother couldn't care for the other one. I don't know what was supposed to have happened, but somehow Braddock ended up with him," Winnie said.

"Weird. We should probably ask him about that," Wordy muttered.

"You know he's going to ask how it pertains to the case," Winnie cautioned.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Wordy exploded. "Sorry, Winnie, I know you're right, but... Hang on, I'm going to save the explosion for the bastard himself." He snatched the article Winnie had printed out and followed General Braddock to the war room.

Winnie and Jules smirked at each other. Wordy rarely got upset, but when he lost his temper... well, one didn't want to be on the receiving end of a bad temper day from Wordy. Jules felt like this was a completely justifiable reason for Wordy to lose his temper.

Wordy took the article that Winnie had printed out.

Ed frowned as he watched Wordy. He glanced over at Jules and Winnie. "What happened?"

"Wordy's in one of his anger management modes," Winnie responded.

"Oh," Ed replied. "Is this a good anger management mode or a bad anger management mode?"

"He's pissed off at General Braddock, it looks like Braddock didn't tell us something that could be vital to the case."

"I can hardly blame him for being pissed off, I think I shall follow him in that regard," Ed said as he made his way to the war room. Winnie and Jules glanced at each other and followed him in the room too. They may as well find out what was going on.

"I just don't understand-" The General and Greg looked up at Wordy, then at Jules and Winnie. Wordy was the first to speak, not giving any of the others a chance to scold him for interrupting.

"I have a few questions for you, Sir." He somehow managed to keep his voice from sounding lethal. Winnie was impressed. "The first being about your adopted son."

"If you'll check into the background, you'll see that the adoption was completely legal," the man reassured. "Is there a problem with the adoption?"

"No, no-I wanted to know why you didn't tell us that you adopted Curtis' twin brother."

"Curtis?" the general questioned.

"Yeah. He's the kid who Sam is stuck watching, the one who was injured so bad he almost died," Wordy said as he sat down.

"Right... Curtis. I need more coffee," he muttered as he sank into the chair. General Braddock nodded towards Jules and Winnie. "You may as well sit down, you will want to know the story too."

Winnie and Jules glanced at each other before sitting down at the table.

"Two years ago I had some people deep cover under a case. We'd gotten a lead on Hastings that believed he was using armed weaponry to kill American civilians. He also was believed to be stealing uniforms and dressing men like cops to get past police barriers and the like," he said. He paused for a minute before continuing. "We got involved, sent in a few men undercover, got enough to bust Hastings. Ended up busting Brendan, who agreed to roll over on Hastings so he wouldn't go to jail. We didn't realize he had Curtis as his son at the time, only Curtis' twin brother... Dylan," he said, looking at the ceiling. "We found out that he Brendan also had Curtis as a son, too, when we raided his house."

"That must have been a surprise," Greg remarked.

"So Brendan's withheld information before on a case," Ed mused, playing with his pen. "That's... interesting to know." He was surprised that this hadn't come up previously, yet. He glanced at Greg; they would be talking about that later. Greg gave an almost invisible nod and Ed turned his attention back to General Braddock.

"Yeah, and I wasn't happy with Brendan not being entirely honest with us. To make a long, complicated story short, Brendan and I had a long argument about a hundred different things. In the end, Brendan gave us some information on Hastings, we kept his name out of it so he wouldn't get killed, and he kept Curtis. Well, Curtis was supposed to go to their grandparents, which I didn't know that Brendan kept him until very recently... which is why I kind of forcefully put myself in the case again, although I left most of the work to Guns and Gangs."

"This would be six months ago?" Ed questioned.

"Yeah, six months ago," he responded, looking at Ed, "How did you-"

"Guns and Gangs got pissed at us for messing with six months of deep cover work," Greg replied, "Until I said that Sam had been... taken." He sighed. "I guess I know who put them on the case now."

The general shook his head, "Actually, no, it wasn't me. Well, it was. I found out that Guns and Gangs was in it for Hastings, and I told them to find out about Brendan. That's when I realized that Curtis had moved back in with his father. Brendan was smart enough to keep Curtis at his grandparents' for about a year or two. I adopted his brother because his grandparents' couldn't keep both."

"That's when Sam started trying to connect to you," Wordy said, "about a year or two ago."

"I'm not a dumb man, I knew why Sam was doing it," the general responded. "His mother takes good care of her son - our son... but I don't blame Sam for checking in." He sighed. "I wasn't... I wasn't the best father for Sam, not after we lost his sister... I had a drinking problem, I took it out on Sam a lot of nights. I'd like to say I'm totally better now, and while I'd never imagine hitting Dylan - that's Curtis' brother by the way - but Sam still brings back memories. Memories that aren't his fault, but memories nonetheless." The man sighed and looked out a breath. "We've been working on them. Unfortunately, my ego still gets in the way sometimes, and we still end up in fights. Generally not fistfights... generally," He added, looking apologetically at Wordy.

"Do you think that Brendan will connect Sam to the Dylan case?" Greg asked. Wordy grimaced; he hadn't even thought of the possibility of that. Winnie looked at Jules, whose face had paled dramatically. Winnie rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I hope not," General Braddock grimaced. "I hadn't thought of that. And if he has Micah with him... Micah knows computers. Where's Spike?"

Spike poked his head in the room. "Boss, coffee's on," he greeted.

"Spike, we may need your computer skills to cover a few tracks..." Greg said. "Not yet. We'll keep you posted."

"Okay..." Spike said, looking leerily at both of them. "I found a lead you might be interested in. Someone called in a notice from a station. Seems Sam was there-"

"He was there? Let's go get him then," Wordy said, standing up.

Spike sighed, "Key phrase, was there. Left a note with a bitch of a clerk, who didn't believe the note and handed it to her co-worker because she thought it was a joke. Luckily, the co-worker follows the news and knew Sam was in shit. I guess it's been an hour since they left, but we may still be able to pull some strings. It's an hour away from here."

"Not by helicopter," General Braddock said as he stood up. "They have security footage?"

"Yeah... Audio too on the footage," he remarked.

"Spike, you go with General Braddock and check that out. I'm guessing you can only take two in the helicopter?"

General Braddock nodded. "Well, one person other than me."

"Okay, Spike, you go; I want you to be onsite to look at their surveillance cameras and play around with them. The rest of us will stay here, I'm going to get in touch with a few contacts. Winnie, I want you to see what you can dig up on Curtis, see what he's been up too for a few years, see what Brendan has done," Greg said with a nod.

Winnie nodded in response, "Not a problem."

"Okay, I'm going to call a meeting in an hour. Let's see what we can find out by then," Greg said.

* * *

So, a long chapter with a lot of plot twists. Two easy questions, same rule as before: Review, mention your favorite character; 100 words. Review, answer the first challenge, 150, review, answer the 2nd challenge, 175. Hope I'm doing the character portions OK. Hope you've enjoyed the plot twists as well.

Challenge: What has been your favorite part of the story so far?

Challenge two: What's going to happen to the "blonde bubble gum chewing girl" when Spike and General Braddock get there?


	7. Chapter 7

Sam looked over at Micah. He could hardly believe that the man hadn't beaten him for passing the cashier a note. His heart sank a bit. Wait a minute, that could also mean two things. That could mean that the cashier never did anything with the note.

Or maybe Micah was more obvious than he thought.

The man walked up next to him, leaning over his shoulder as he was slicing the carrots. Sam resisted the urge to stab him with a sharp butter knife.

"So, how does it feel knowing that you killed Ed Lane?" Micah asked.

"What?" Sam asked, turning around in surprise.

"You know, your boss? It's the biggest hit on the media. Pathetic, if you ask me... Although I do like a media frenzy."

Sam grit his teeth and clenched his hands on the butterknife. He forced himself to slowly breathe, reminding that he was personally being baited by Micah to reply.

"You know, I don't really think your boss would be proud of you right now." The man has a sinister smirk.

Sam curled his hands around the knife. He wished he had something more brutal than a butter knife. Seriously, what did someone even say to something like that?

"You are worthless." Micah smirked as he left the room.

I hate Micah, Sam thought glumly to himself as he looked at the floor. He allowed himself about 30 seconds of self-pity, then sighed and turned back to the dinner.

Curtis joined him, hopping up on the counter. "Hey Sam?" He asked.

"Yeah Curtis?"

"I don't like Micah... And I don't really like Daddy right now," he admitted.

"What happened?" Sam asked as he gave his full attention to the kid.

"Daddy beat me," Curtis said with a sad face. His expression was so sad Sam wanted to hug him.

"What happened?" He questioned.

"I fell off something and Daddy hitted me. He said I was bad. Am I bad Sam?" The kid asked as a tear ran down his face.

"No, you aren't bad. What happened?" Sam asked, a worried frown on his face. He wasn't really sure what was going on. All he knew was that he didn't like it. And that it wasn't good for either of them. At all.

"Sam... Why do I get hitted? Am I the bad one?" Curtis frowned.

"No, Curtis. Did your father say those things?"

"Well, yeah... He said that if I had never been born it would be more simple..." Curtis trailed off a breath in frustration.

"I'm sorry, Curtis."

"Sam do I have to out up with him hitting me?"

"Not at all, Curtis-never, you understand?" Sam questioned.

Curtis nodded before he burst out into tears, surprising Sam. "Sam, I want my Grandma... Or my brother. I want my daddy too, but..." He looked out the window as a tear rolled down his face. "I'm a baddie, Sam."

"What? No, Curtis-you aren't bad... You understand me?" Sam asked as he embraced the kid into a big hug. "I'm sorry, kiddo."

"I want G-Grandma or Dylan..."

Sam froze. "Dylan?"

"My brother, I have pictures.." The kid pulled out the picture from his pocket. "Him... Three months ago."

Sam's jaw dropped open. Holy shit! That was the same kid who his father adopted. Shit...

"He was a good brother. He got ad-adopted, but I'm worthless..."

"No, Curtis. You aren't worthless. Your brother loves you very much," Sam reassured. "I know who he is."

Curtis frowned. "You do?" He asked.

"Yeah... My dad, he's the one who adopted him," Sam explained. "I've talked to him. My Dad wanted to adopt you, too, but the courts said you were to go with Grandma."

Curtis nodded. "I want my brother..." His voice trailed off as Micah came in.

"Well, well... Is Curtis' dinner ready yet?"

Sam sighed. "Yeah. I need to warm it up for fifteen minutes though..."

"Good. Put it in the oven. Curtis, Sam and I will be right back."

"Leave Sam alone," Curtis demanded in an annoyed tone of voice.

"I will be nice to Sam. Go get changed into pajamas."

Pouting, Curtis did as the man said.

Micah turned towards Sam. "Get. In. The. Other. Room."

Sam winced and put the dinner in the oven before turning back to Micah. "Which room-"

"God, are you a fucking moron?" Micah snarled angrily. "You really are a moron."

Sam restrained from grabbing the knife off of Micah's belt. He would have honestly killed Micah right then except for one simple reason: he knew that the man had friends... And that he knew Brendan and at least one other person were lurking around. That, and he was really worried about what would happen to Curtis if that happened.

He followed Micah, not failing to notice the man's hand on his gun. "Hands on the wall," he snarled.

"I-"

"Shut up! Get. Your. Hands. On. The wall. What part of that is so hard to understand?!"

Sam sighed as he placed his hands on the wall. He knew whatever was coming next was not going to be good.

"You deserve this," Micah snarled.

Sam swallowed and closed his eyes, yelping as the first belt lash hit his back. "S-shit..." He whispered hoarsely.

"You deserve this," Micah reminded him. "You're so worthless..."

Sam ignored him, instead concentrating on a pep talk Jules had one given him. God, he missed her so much. He really did.

But somehow he would get out of this... Somehow.

##break##

Spike sighed as he walked into the grocery store. "Hi, this is Spike. I'm here today to talk to Carol and Tony?"

"From SRU? Yeah. No prob. Let me let the team leader know you're here," The man said. "I'm Tony. We spoke on the phone."

"Yeah, thanks." Spike turned to General Braddock. "You wanna be bad cop?"

The general nodded, "Absolutely."

Carol came out and so did Tony. Both sat at the table. Carol had a dull, bored expression on her face. Tony, on the other hand, looked concerned.

"Do you mind if I get started on the video feed?" Spike questioned.

Tony shook his head. "No, go ahead - it's right over there," he pointed. "Boss can help you with it."

"Thanks," Spike nodded. "I really appreciate it." He walked over to the man.

General Braddock turned to Michelle. "So, you were the one who talked to Sam?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Why, like, is everyone making a big deal about this?"

"Sam is an SRU officer, former military. He was actively on duty when he was abducted trying to save a child's life. The man who is holding them hostage has already shot and killed one man, and will continue to hurt Sam until we get him and the child safely home."

She sighed, "He, like, didn't even look stressed out when he got in the store, you know? He was like, calm. And, like, I thought he was like, hitting on me."

General Braddock refrained from rolling his eyes. "You wouldn't be his type. He prefers them with brains. You notice anyone else besides him?"

"Yeah, there was like another guy. I thought maybe, it was his boyfriend." She rolled his eyes. "Until the guy went all psycho on him."

"Describe 'all psycho.'"

"Well, he like, yelled at the kid. I remember that because the guy looked really, really angry and stressed out but didn't say anything. I mean, what kind of idiot just takes shit like that?"

General Braddock resisted the urge to strangle her, reminding himself that she could potentially hold vital clues to Sam's disappearance. And he was on the clock. "And what total idiot doesn't step into prevent it, hmm?"

She rolled her eyes. "I wasn't, like, going to get involved with all the drama."

"Right... So what did the guy who flipped out look like?"

"Why, like, is that important?"

"Carol, the guy you saw is missing!" Tony snapped, finally losing his patience. "You can't even remember the important details that could, I don't know-save his life!"  
She sighed, "Was he really kidnapped? I only ask because he honestly didn't seem like it."

"Yes, he was," the man said. "We have the proof on video." Okay, that was a lie, but she didn't have to know that. "And we know he was abducted. He'd be calm and cool because he's trained to think under danger, and probably didn't want you to get involved in the middle of the hostage situation."

Carol sighed. "I guess.. I don't know. He just, seemed like... He didn't know where anything was, but that's to be expected; half of the people in the store don't. I guessed he was shopping for like a little brother or something because, like, everything he bought had a picture of a kid on it. And, he seemed, like, okay. Then that guy came in and flipped out on him, started yelling. Not really loud though. Then the guy left, and he was okay again. Asked me to use the phone, which I thought was weird."

"He asked you to use the phone... What did you tell him?"

"No, because, like... it's our policy. We're not really allowed to, and I saw his friend had one... I mean, that guy, so I figured he was messing with me. Then he slipped me that note, with the five dollars. He seemed, like, really pretty chill. So I didn't think it was anything urgent. Plus, like, there was like, a line behind him, and I had to like, finish that line first."

"Thank you, Carol. Please contact me if you remember anything else," he said, pressing his card into her hand. She nodded and got up.

"You see Sam?" General Braddock asked Tony as he walked back to the other room.

Tony sighed. "Yeah, for about ten seconds, as he was leaving was when I had got here. He didn't say anything or even look at me... I found the $5 on the cash register, and called you guys in when I realized who it was... I half thought the thing was a joke, then I realized Braddock was the guy who had been missing on the news. Unlike Carol, I pay attention."

General Braddock sighed and nodded as they made their room to the other room. "How's it going, Spike?"

"Pretty good, I've isolated our bad guy's face," Spike said. "It'll give us another face for the media."

"I remember seeing that guy," Tony said. "He nearly plowed into me at the parking lot, and started screaming obscenities at me as that Sam dude was coming out. I was pretty sure he didn't pay for gas, so I got his license plate number... hang on. He was traveling in this really big, obnoxious RV."

"All the easier for me to track him," Spike smirked as he followed Tony. "This info is really helpful, thanks."

"Not a problem. Now I know why I was so bugged by that dude," Tony shrugged. "I really hope you find your friend."

"Thanks... Us too. " Spike ducked back into the office and flipped open his phone. "Winnie, I need a license plate check..."

## break ##

Sam sighed as he gave Curtis the remains of his dinner, mentally thinking about the best way to escape. He had been ever since he'd been abducted, but now even moreso. Micah came into the room. "Sam, where is my dinner?"

"Your... dinner?" Sam asked.

"Yes, are you daft? What are Brendan and I supposed to eat?"

"I'll... have it ready in five minutes," Sam said.

"Good." Micah left the room.

Sam quickly threw the television dinner in the microwave and raced off to the bathroom. He had seen a few sleeping pills when he was in there earlier, cleaning off the blood from the beating Micah gave him. A plan quickly formed in his mind. The dinner finished, and he mixed up the food, shoving a few of the pills in there. "There you go," he told Micah, handing him two plates.

"Thank you. Was that really so hard?" Micah asked. "We'll be camping here for the night. Brendan and I will be in the other room discussing something. By the way, I hope you won't be so stupid as to contact any of the cops around here, I have them all paid off... They help Brendan and I with our drug business."

"Thanks for the warning," Sam winced.

"You're welcome. By the way, someone else will be in here later to make sure you haven't escaped," the man said.

Sam nodded. He slipped out of that room and into Curtis' room. "Curtis? Are you okay?" He asked.

Curtis shook his head. "I w-want my brother and Grandma, I don't want Daddy."

Sam paused, thinking. "Curtis... You don't want to be here, right?"

"N-no..." A tear ran down Curtis' cheek.  
"I think I might be able to get out us out of here, but you need to listen to me, okay?"

"Yeah..."

"Okay, give me five." Sam grabbed his backpack and took out almost all of his clothes, throwing in only one pair of the clothes. He grabbed a spare pair of Curtis' clothes, too, and a little bit of food. grabbed the bottles of water, too. He would have planned to go to the police station had Micah not basically said that he was working with all the police.

"Sam? What're you doing?"

Sam gestured for him to be quiet as he packed the remainder of the bag before moving over towards the door. Micah was snoring, and it looked like Brendan was sleeping.

"Come on, let's go," he said.

"Sam? Where are we going?"

"I'm gonna try and get you to see your brother."

"Oh... Away from him...?" Curtis asked.

"Yeah," Sam said. "Can you walk?"

Curtis nodded, and Sam slipped on the backpack. "Come on, let's go," he said, putting his hand in Curtis' as the two left the trailer of sleeping men behind.

## break ##

Two hours later

"Spike, I think I got a lead on that license plate," Winnie said. "Someone called it in. "

"Really? Where?" Spike asked, glancing up.

"Two hours from here."

"Let's get some unis over here, stat-I'll tell boss, you get working on the unis."

"On it," Winnie nodded.

## break ##

Challenge: What happens now? Will Sam get away? Will help arrive after Sam gets away or before?

When reviewing don't forget to vote for who you want added in! (Does everyone still like getting to vote for their favorite characters?)


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks for your reviews. Enjoy the update. I'll reply to your reviews when I'm not so tired I'm sleepwalking.

## break ##

Sam limped along the narrow road. He held Curtis in his arms. The boy was asleep.

Sam had been going to try the local police and risk ignoring Micah's statement when he realized there really were no local police. Wherever they were, they were in the boonies.

Sam shifted his backpack and Curtis. The kid looked so innocent sleeping. Sam could hardly believe his father had adopted Curtis' twin brother.

Really, Sam had no idea where they were going. He had thought about asking about where they were but thought that it would raise the suspicion of those he asked. Plus, what if there were cops nearby that Micah had warned him about?

Sam was so exhausted. He knew, though, that he had to keep going and physically move towards a goal. He wanted to cover a lot of ground while it was dark out.

Another hour or so later-Sam had no idea of the time as they had stolen his watch-Sam saw some tents. He wondered if anyone would be able to help him.

Jesus, why did Micah have to pull him over in the middle of nowhere? He let out a breath frustration before heading towards the camp.

"Someone's outside!" He heard a voice call.

"Can I help you son?" The man asked. "You caught us just in time, we're getting dinner dished out."

Sam's stomach grumbled. Oh, jeeze... Food. He hadn't had that in two days... Well, he'd had a little bit today, but it was barely enough.

"Um... I'm just passing through, my name is Sam Braddock... I don't suppose any of you have a phone?"

The man shook his head. "No, and the nearest one is three miles that way."

Sam's heart sunk; great. There was no way he could go that far tonight. Maybe if it were just him, but not with him and Curtis. And even him getting that far was questionable with the shape he was in.

"Come sit down, tell us what's going on. Maybe we can help." The man smiled at him.

Seeing no other really good option, Sam followed him. He hoped that there would be no really negative things that went on... Yeah. He let out a breath in frustration. This. Sucked. Majorly.

"Relax, it's ok. I'm Bernie, this here is my wife Angie. This over here is Nicolette, and Jeremiah, Megan and David," the man said. "There are a few more of us, but they have retired early and gone to bed. You can sit down. We don't bite," Bernie said.

Sam nodded as he sat down.

"So. What brings you down our way? We're a bit far from others. We're two miles from the town that way and about two miles from the town that ta way."

Sam winced. "Well, I was kidnapped and Curtis was... Abducted by his father. I'm a member of the police response unit... I've been trying to get in touch with my team."

"Nothin's probably gonna be open in this town now. Plus, you need some rest. Here-eat." The man smiled at Sam.

Curtis rolled over. "S-Sam?" He asked.

"Yeah?"

"I'm hungry... Where are we?"

"Where are we?" Sam questioned Bernie.

"We're Canada," Bernie said as he explained exactly where he was at. "Also affectionately called the middle of absolutely nowhere."

Sam gave a smile as Bernie gave Curtis some food. "Thanks," Sam said as he opened up his backpack. "I have a little bit-"

"No, nah. Food's already been made for the day, so we've got plenty. Plus... It's covered. No worries."

"Thank you," Sam said honestly and gratefully as he accepted the food. He handed the spoon to Curtis.

"Thanks. You're nice," Curtis grinned.

"What time is it?" Sam questioned.

"It's about ten thirty. Unfortunately nothing in that town opens till six. I mean even the police station is there, but it's just Curtis and he don't let nobody, no matter what, use the phone..."

Sam accepted it for what it was and nodded.

"Tomorrow morning about seven - after breakfast-I have to go and get to the store. We got a small car I could take you in if you wanted."

"Please?" Sam asked, relieved. He'd been worried about Curtis going that far.

"Not a problem, son," the man reassured. "Not a problem at all."

After Curtis had finished dinner, Sam helped Bernie clean out the pot and then he helped get a bed ready for Curtis.

## break ##

"Yeah. The witness says they were here but that he didn't know where they went, I guess Micah and Brandon only just took off a few minutes ago. They left the trailer here. Witness believes Sam and Curtis escaped." Ed said.

"That's good," Wordy said, breathing a sigh of relief.

Ed sighed. "It looks like there are a few videos here-maybe they'll give us a lead."

"Maybe!" Spike said. He slipped the first one in.

"They were recorded by our witness's." Ed smirked at that. "The guy is impressive, I'll give you that." He was the same one who had faked Ed's death.

"Yeah, that he is." Spike slipped the disk in.

## break ##

Bernie grimaced he looked at the door. There was someone unfamiliar outside. And they sounded upset.

"Wha's going on?" Sam asked wearily.

"Go back to bed. I'll kick them out," the man replied solemnly.

Sam nodded but remained awake and tense.

"I'm Sheriff Mo-Shure," the man said. "It is nice to meet you."

Bernie scowled. "Save the niceties, sherif and tell me why you're really here."

"I'm here because I'm worried about Sam Braddock and Curtis, they ran away the other day. Curtis is this man's son and the man wants him back."

"Oh really... I'm sorry, but I ain't seen anyone looking like that."

"Nobody?" Sam froze when he heard Micah's voice.

Just then Curtis started to stir.

"Shh!" Sam warned him, pressing a finger against his lips.

Curtis nodded, clinging to Sam.

Bernie and Micah exchanged a few more words. Finally, it appeared as though Micah had given up all pretenses when he snarled, "Well, if he's not there-let us search the tents!"

"No," Bernie said. "You must have a search warrant to do this. We are legally on this property."

"We can get a search warrant," Micah snarled angrily.

"You go right ahead and do that," Bernie calmly said. "I refuse to be intimidated by your antics."

"Well be back," Micah said.

"I don't doubt it," the man said calmly.

When the car pulled away, Sam breathed a sigh of relief. Bernie slipped back into the tent.

"Your feller kept looking for ya," he said with a smile.

"Thanks, Bernie," Sam said. "Aren't you worried he was a legit officer?"

Bernie shrugged. "Even if he was I believe you more."

"Thanks," Sam said wearily as he fell asleep once more.

## break ##

Sam groaned as he awoke, feeling like there were certain things that just were amazingly better after one nights sleep. He glanced up. Bernie was already gone, probably up to cooking something or something.

He stepped out of his tent and glanced at Bernie. "Hey, man. Thanks for last night."

"Not a problem, man. I totally understand. Someone else came looking for you also."

"Oh yeah? Who?"

"Their name was... Greg Parker? He was another cop. You was out, but after that last cop... I'm not so sure I wanted him to be near you."

"Um-thanks. But..."

"He seemed more concerned about you, though." Bernie smiled.  
"That said I really wasn't sure how much I trusted him."

Sam nodded, feeling worried. Shit, his boss had been here last night... He'd been this close to getting rescued.

But, he reminded himself, everything for a reason - and he was just a phone call away from a rescue.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he finished eating breakfast. "Thanks a lot," he said. "Seriously, you guys can have some of this food," he said, gesturing towards his backpack.

Bernie only smiled. "Thanks, but we're set for right now. We like to pay things forward and do what we can. Are you almost ready to get going? Car's right there," he gestured.

"Yeah-I'm ready whenever," Sam nodded his head as he looked at the car. He grabbed his backpack and got in. Curtis got in the back and leaned his head against the window.

Bernie smiled and got in the driver's seat. "So... I hope you find who you're looking for. Is Greg Parker your boss?"

"Yeah."

"Well, shit. I would have woken you up, but I didn't want to tip him off in case he wasn't legit."

Sam smiled. "It's okay, I'll be able to get in touch with him soon. I really appreciate you keeping Micah away last night, though."

"My pleasure, I hate scum cops," Bernie said with a shrug. "Legit ones are great. I was pretty sure your boss was legit..."

_## flashback ##_

_"Hi, I'm Sergeant Gregory Parker with the Special Response Unit. I am wondering if Agent Sam Braddock is here?" he asked._

_"Agen wha? You mean the badass who was here earlier? Nah, that guy was Micah Jacobson with Brendan something or other."_

_"Sam Braddock, the guy in this picture. Was he here?"_

_"Nope. Never seen him."_

_"You said Brendan and Micah were here?"_

_"Yeah, they came in. Actually, I did see that dude-he was the one they were looking for too, did he commit some crime?"_

_"No, he was abducted. We were looking for him-"_

_Bernie shrugged. "I'll let him know ya'll are looking for him when I see him. I ain't seen him."_

_"You mind if we search?" the other man asked. "I'm Ed, Greg's partner."_

_"Hell yeah they mind if ya search," Another woman spoke up. "This is our damn property, and we choose to have land here. It may not be traditional houses, but we're fine with that. Now if you'd please go on your way... Come back with a warrant if you really think he's here."_

_"We'll do that," Ed replied calmly as he left._

_## end flashback ##_

"Now I wish I'd let them know."

"It's OK, really. I appreciate all you've done," Sam reassured. "Where is the police station?"

"Right over there, but I don't know if I'd count on them to let you call. The homeless shelter is nearby and has phones."

"Thanks," Sam said gratefully.

"I'm gonna do my errand, but I'll duck in the police station and make sure the old man doesn't arrest you."

"Thanks." Sam grabbed Curtis, who reached up to be carried. Sam obliged as he shifted his backpack and walked towards the police station, praying that they'd help.

## break ##

"I can't help but feel like Sam was at that tented place," Ed muttered as he sank to the ground.

"Bernie was pretty damn sure he wasn't, and they're right on one thing-I can't legally search their tents without a warrant. Plus, Sam wasn't screaming that he was there," Greg said.

Ed sighed. "Yeah, there's that. Well, we've got the warrant in the process anyway. Right now we do know that Micah and Brendan don't have Sam."

Greg nodded in response. "And it's our job to make sure that we find him before they do."

## break ##

So, what did you think? Do you think the police will let him make the phone call? What did you think of Bernie? Same as normal - answer 1, 150 words; answer 2, 175 words. Don't forget to vote for your favorite character! You voting for your favorite character helps me to know which scenes you'd like to best see and motivates me to write even more.  
**  
**


	9. Chapter 9

Sam sighed as he helped Curtis up before he opened the door on the police station. He was really hoping that they'd let him make a phone call. He felt a million times better after getting two good meals and sleeping for a whole night.

Oh, and being away from Micah helped too. That said, he knew he still wasn't out of the woods yet; he knew that it would be a huge relief for him when he was finally back with his team where he belonged. He sighed as he walked up to the front desk. "Hi, my name is Sam Braddock, I'm a police officer with the Strategic Response Unit and I was wondering if I could borrow your phone?"

The officer gave him a disinterested look. "Where's your badge?" he asked.

"It was stolen when I was abducted, haven't you seen the news?" Sam asked, already worried. Well... shit. Maybe he could still persuade the police officer to let him make a phone call.

"Not really... Don't like watching it." The man gave a sinister smile that made Sam want to wipe the smile off of his face by any means necessary. "Why, what was important that I missed?"

"I was abducted by two men. I need a phone to report to my supervisor that I'm alright," Sam said firmly. Curtis clung to Sam a little more closely. Sam could tell that he was frightened by the policeman.

"Then what's with the kid?" the man asked.

"He's the kid I rescued," Sam said, leaning over the desk towards the phone. Okay, enough bullshit. Maybe if he could just sneak in a quick call -

The man sighed before grabbing Sam's hand and slamming it on the counter, causing him to jerk and nearly drop Curtis. Sam grabbed his hand back and stepped away from the desk.

"What the hell is your problem?" Sam demanded.

"It's against policy to use the phone," the man snarled. "There's a homeless shelter two doors down. What are you, a moron?"

"No, I'm new to this town and I don't know where anything is, and I know I'm a law enforcement officer who would like help!" Sam snarled. "Is that too much to ask for?"

"Is there a problem?" another man asked. Sam winced, he looked familiar. Oh, no, shit. He'd seen a picture of him in Micah's photobook of drug lords.

"No, no problem," Sam said as he slowly backed away.

"He was trying to use the phone, I told him it's not our policy," the man said.

"Sam?" Curtis asked, clinging even more tightly to him.

"Curtis, it's okay," Sam said.

"He does look familiar..." the second man frowned.

"I'll just go use the phone over there," Sam responded.

"Good. See that you stay out of office," The first one snarled.

Sam sighed, grabbed his backpack, adjusted Curtis, and walked out the door, glum. Well, shit. And he didn't have any money to make a phone call either. He needed to make sure to get out of this damn town before Micah found him.

"Sam, are we homeless?" Curtis asked.

"No, Curtis," Sam said tiredly. He wanted to set the kid down - his arms were sore - but he didn't dare with the possibility of Micah running around.

"Can I walk?" Curtis asked, slipping down. Sam shrugged, adjusted the backpack again, and nodded.

"Sure," Sam said as he made his way to the two doors over. There was a gentleman who was over closer towards the door. He frowned as he approached, nothing appeared to be open. Damn it, why did he have to give his last $5 to the ditzy clerk? Then again, it wasn't like there was a pay phone anywhere, and he would have had to get change anyway.

"You need something?" the man by the door spoke up.

"Yeah, I need to use a phone, the cops told me there was a homeless shelter here, where I could use the phone," Sam said as he picked Curtis up once more.

The man rolled his eyes. "Well, this is the homeless shelter mealsite. The real shelter is across the way, but they've just closed until noon. Meal site doesn't open for another twenty."

"oh, shit," Sam muttered as he ran his hand through his hair. "Do they have a phone there?"

"Yeah... my name's Mike, by the way. Why're you looking for the phone?"

Sam sank to the ground. Curtis groaned, "Sam, I'm cold."

"Hang on," Sam said as he dug through his backpack. "Here you go, here's a sweater."

"T-thanks," Curtis replied as he put it on. "Don't wanna go with Daddy, Sam."

"I know." Sam let out a breath. "I'm... we're trying to get away from his father," he said, not wanting to disclose he was police after what had just happened. "I have someone who could give me a ride, but I need a phone."

"You know, you can just say you're a cop. I don't have a record." The man smiled and handed him a phone.

Sam looked at the phone. "Thanks?" He said, confused. Well, not really confused, but relieved. And damn he was so tired.

"It's fine," the man said. "I get new minutes tomorrow, and the phone is paid for by the government. The foodsite won't open in another twenty, and you and the kid can have your ride on the way by then."

"Thanks," Sam said as he breathed a huge sigh of relief. He punched in the buttons, calling his boss.

"Greg Parker speaking."

"Boss, it's me," Sam said, breathing a weary sigh of relief.

"Sam, thank God! Are you okay? Is Curtis with you? IS he okay - -wait, where are you?"

"I'm OK, Curtis is OK - and actually, I don't know; where are we?"

"We're on 2828 Main Street," The man said, explaining what the shelter was near.

"We're on 28-"

"Don't worry, Sam. I heard him. Tell him thank you. We'll be there in twenty, we're actually pretty close. Are you at the police station? Spike says that's next to there."

"Close, at the homeless shelter next door. Well, technically, at the homeless shelter mealsite."

"We'll be there. Hang tight," Greg commanded.

"Will do, boss." Sam hung up the phone and handed it back to the man. "Thank you so much," he said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Not a problem," the man said.

"Sam? I'm hungry," Curtis whined.

"Hang on," Sam said as he opened up a can of ravaoli. "Want anything?" he asked the man.

The man shook his head. "Thanks, but I'll be fine. How old is your kid?"

"Well, technically -"

"Nine," Curtis said to the man with a big smile. "Sam? How long till your boss gets here?"

"Soon, Curtis," Sam said, inwardly thinking, not soon enough.

## break ##

"I'm so relieved he's okay," Greg said to Ed as they sped towards the homeless shelter mealsite. He had been seriously worried about Sam ever sense they had found Micah and Brendan's abandoned RV that someone had claimed to see Sam in.

"Yeah, but why is he at the homeless shelter? Why not try the police station or something?" Ed asked. "That just seems weird to me."

"We'll be sure to interrogate him when we get here," Greg said tiredly. "I'm just glad he's alright."

"Yeah, me too." Ed ran his hand through his hair. "Me too."

Greg looked out the window, a thousand thoughts racing through his head. As long as they got Sam back, he firmly believed they could take whatever he'd been through, and make it okay from there. Things really would be okay - they'd see to it. He grinned at Ed. "You know... HE might think you're dead." ****

Ed winced. "Oh, shit."

"Well, e'll just have to surprise him," Greg said. "I don't think it'll be a bad surprise for him, though."

"There's that," Ed nodded. "I cannot wait until we catch Micah and give him his what-for."

"Yeah, no kidding," Greg muttered. "No kidding." Sam, you better be there when we get there, he thought, wondering what was going on and praying his team member would be okay._  
_

## break ##

Challenge: Your challenge: tell me what scene you'd love to see in the next chapter. Review, 150 words for your favorite; answer challenge, 175. Thanks for the reviews, I'll reply when I can!

Also, if you want, I'm going to be working on another Flashpoint story soon (this one is not yet over, though, so I will be finishing it), so if you have an idea for another story, let me know and I'll see if I can make it work!


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for your patience while I updated this. I'm very glad that you are enjoying it. I'll try and post the next chapter either tonight or tomorrow. Stay tuned, the ride isn't over yet!

## break ##

Sam closed his eyes as he leaned back against the fence. Shit, he was so fucking exhausted he couldn't stand it.

"Sam?" Curtis asked. "Are you okay?"

"'M fine," Sam said sleepily as he leaned back against the table. He really was so damn tired it was not funny. Like, at all.

He forcefully exhaled as he closed his eyes. Damn, why was the room spinning so much? He really felt sick.

"Sam?" He heard Mike ask. "Hey Zac, can you get over here? I think Sam's about to faint."

Faint? That was hardly an honest assessment, he wasn't about to faint! That wasn't fair. He could only bring himself to be not so bothered though.

Yawning he closed his eyes. If he could just sleep... Then everything would be okay, right? Yes, everything would be okay. He nodded to himself-this would be good.

"Curtis, has he had anything to eat or drink?" Zac worriedly asked. "When was the last time he did?"

"Um, I don't know? No, wait! He ate this morning, but it was only a bowl of soup and he didn't drink anything."

Zac nodded before muttering, "Fuuuuuuck." Then he glanced at Curtis, "Sorry."

He nodded. "It okay. What's wrong with him?"

"Well he's thirsty, I think. Is that your backpack?"

"Yeah, I think he put some water in there..." Curtis reached in and grabbed his backpack. "Yeah! Here it is, yay!"

Zac smiled in amusement. "Thanks. What's his name?"

"Name's... Sam," he said sleepily. "What's going on? Where is Curtis?"

"I'm right here," Curtis volunteered.

"Good-glad you're okay," Sam said.

"Sam, I need you to do me a favor okay? I need you to breathe deeply, inhale and exhale. Okay?"

Sam nodded, but man, breathing hurt so bad.

"Okay, now I need you to drink some water okay Sam?" He asked.

"Y-yeah..." He said as he looked around the area. He felt so damn sick to his stomach-it really wasn't fair.

"Great, but SAm don't drink so fast, you'll get sick," the man said.

Sam nodded.

"He has someone on the way for him named Boss," Mike said.

"Good, because I really don't want to call an ambulance for him if he doesn't have insurance," Zac said.

Micah appeared in the crowd and Curtis' face paled. "Sam, Micah's here! I don't wanna go with him!"

Just then the large crowd that had been surrounding them dispersed into the dining room for breakfast. Sam was so out of it he wasn't even paying attention.

"So I'm gonna guess he's not your friends ride then hmm..." Mike nodded at Zac.

"Curtis, thank God! I can't believe that it took so long to find you. My word, I was so worried! Is Sam okay?"

"Get away from me!" Curtis snapped angrily.

"Hey, buddy," Zac said, "the kid doesn't want to be near you. Why is that?"

"Back off, Micah," Sam said as he finally noticed the man standing there. "I'm fine, really."

"You are most certainly *not* fine, young man. Your father has been looking everywhere for you!"

Sam clenched his fists. "My father? Are you serious? My father was a bastard, but he was nowhere near as much of a bastard as you, asshole. My suggestion is that you leave before you get legally charged with kidnapping a minor and a member of SRU."

"You want my suggestion? You come with before I beat the snot out of Curtis," the man growled angrily.

"Hey-" Sam started to say, but Zac spoke up first.

"You do realize you just threatened assault on a minor, right? Threats of assault of any kind are against shelter rules, and I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to leave now."

Micah glared dismissively at Zac. "You're just a resident here, which means you're homeless, scum."

"I may be temporarily without a shelter, but that means nothing. You, on the other hand, have just proven that you have no disregard for certain rules and regulations."

"They don't apply to me," Micah sniffed. "Sam, Curtis-let's go."

"No," Sam said. "I don't take orders from you. Not anymore."

Zac glanced at Sam. "Are you the kids legal guardian?" He asked Micah.

Micah shook his head. "No..."

"Are you Sam's legal guardian?"

"No, but-"

"Then get out of here."

Micah growled and lunged for Curtis. Curtis backed away. "Sam!"

Sam and Zac were both already there, though. Sam grabbed the man's hands, and nodded to Zac, "he just tried to attack a minor-there are a pair of cuffs on his belt."

"I wasn't gonna attack Curtis! I was going to attack you, you miserable shit!" He said.

"Yeah, but I'm still a law enforcement officer," he pointed out. "So, you are still under a arrest."

"I'm a police officer too!"

"Then you should know the rules," Zac said as someone else came out of the house with a phone in their hand, trailed by Mike.

"What's going on?" Brendan asked.

Sam's jaw dropped open for just a second before he quickly recovered. "Brendan-"

"How am I here? I'm here because I knew you would try and pull something stupid like this, why do you think the police station won't let people make phone calls and reports on their whereabouts? Now let Micah go, and we can go back to normal. Although I must say, I think you need some serious counseling since you're willing to attack an officer."

"Nice try, but no," Sam said. "I'm not going back with you..." He said. He suddenly felt dizzy, rolling over and fainting.

"Sam? Sam?" Curtis asked worriedly. He looked nervously at Zac. "Sam can't go back with Daddy, he hurted him."

"And now you see why Curtis should not be around Sam. He is a bad influence," Micah said, glaring at the two as if it was supposed to be intimidating to them when Zac had him in handcuffs.

"You're not going to get your hands on that kid if I have anything to say about it and a police officer signs off on it - someone who is not you," Zach muttered. He'd seen Sam's reaction. "Mike, make sure Sam's okay?"

Mike nodded, resting his hand on his forehead. "He's not feverish, so that's good."

"Micah doesn't let him sleep," Curtis said, "Do you think that could be why he fainted?"

Zac and Mike exchanged looks. "Maybe," Mike said. "I'm not a doctor, though... Maybe that's his ride," he said, looking over at the police car.

"Sam!" Ed yelled, racing over to where his friend lay. He recognized Micah instantly. Parker raced after him, running into Brendan, grabbing his hands and cuffing them behind his back.

"You're under arrest for kidnapping a police officer, assaulting a police officer and whatever else I can think to pin on you," Parker said.

"You have no proof," Brendan snarled. "Lemme go."

"On the contrary I have plenty of proof, I arrested you, didn't I?" Ed asked before he shoved him in the back of a truck.

"We'll take him from here, boys, thanks," Parker said, flashing his SRU badge. Zac nodded and released him.

"Sam, it's Boss, are you okay?" Parker asked. "Hi, you must be Curtis," he said, smiling at the kid.

"I think Sam's tired," Curtis said. Ed was on the phone calling the EMT. "Daddy wouldn't let him sleep."

"He seemed to be kinda out of it when he was here," Mike offered. "He asked if I could use my phone, so I let him. Then these two bozos showed up."

"So, they kidnapped Sam then?" Zac asked.

"Yes, they did. He's a member of the Police Strategic Unit, I thank you for your help," Parker said.

"He tried to get help from the police station, but they don't let fucking nobody use their phones, so they wouldn't let him use theirs, they thought he was homeless, I gather."

Another black SUV stopped and Jules ran out, relieved. "Sam okay?" she asked.

"I think he should be, with rest and sleep," Ed said.

Sam opened one eye. "Ed?" he mumbled.

"Yeah, buddy."

"You can't be here."

"Why not?"

"Because you're dead. Am I hallucinating now?" Sam asked as an ambulance sounded in the distance.

"No, I'm not dead. Someone was trying to kill me so we had to fake a news report to get them to believe I was dead. You okay, buddy?" Ed asked.

"No, I'm really tired... and thirsty... and sore..." Sam closed his eyes. "I don't feel good... Wait, I heard Jules..."

"Yeah, she's here. We'll get you to a hospital."

"Curtis?"

"Curtis is here. He's okay."

"Can I go to the hospital with Sam?" Curtis asked.

"I think that would be a good idea," Ed said. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I'm worried about Sam. Is he going to be okay?"

"Yeah, he should be fine. I'm Ed. I work with him. You want to ride with us to the hospital?"

"I guess... Do I have to go back with my Daddy? I love him, but he hurted me."

"No, not for a long time, Curtis."

"Good, I was worried," Curtis said.

Ed smiled tightly as the ambulance came, and then all his thoughts were focused on the present and getting Sam to the medical care center safely.

## break ##

Challenge: So, are Brendan and Micah safely locked away for good...?

Don't forget to vote for your favorite character! Sorry if I missed anyone's here-I'm going to double check, and if I did miss someone's I'll put them in the next chapter.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: An update!

"Jules!" Sam said as he blinked awake. It was such a relief to see her alive and okay. He sniffled, trying to clear his nose. It seemed that sometime in the past 24 hours, he had a cold. He coughed.

"Sam!" Jules said, bolting up from her chair and the book she had been pretending to read. "I'm so glad that you are okay," she said as she hugged him firmly. "You gave us a real scare."

"That wasn't intended. Are you saying -" sniffle - "that I should think carefully before I get into a kidnappers van next time?"

Jules smiled, "That might be preferable." She hit the nurse call button.

Sam groaned, "Come on Jules," he pleaded, "I don't really need a nurse. I'd rather just stay here and look at you, that will cure me all the help that I need."

Jules rolled her eyes. "Be that as it may, I don't believe that you are going to be able to convince the doctor of that. You gave us all a good hell of a scare," she said. "I know I already said that, but you did. The team is passed out on the couch in the office, waiting for my call. You're about ten minutes away from the office."

"Where's Curtis?"

"Curtis is going to be placed in the custody of his grandmother, your father fought pretty hard for that. Did you know your father had another son?"

"Yeah, that one I knew, but how did you find out?"

"It was one of the plot twists in the case, we'll explain it later." She laid back. "Your father was here."

Sam groaned, "Oh shit."

"He wasn't too bad-I think he was mostly worried about you. He didn't give us any embarrassing stories."

The nurse arrived then, cutting off their conversation as she checked Sam's vitals and declared him basically okay, stating only that she would send in the doctor shortly. Sam was relieved that everything was okay and that Curtis got home safely. He couldn't stop thinking about his father, though; wondering what all that was about. He closed his eyes, suddenly trying to stop the world from spinning.

Jules came back in. "They're on their way, and I bet they'll be here in seven minutes."

Sam raised an eyebrow, "Seven minutes?" he asked, knowing that the office was technically about ten minutes away.

"One minute to tell the team, one minute to get from the couch to the car, and five minutes to get here using a police vehicle they've checked out from security," Jules clarified.

Sam nodded, "That sounds about right." He paused. "I missed you guys."

"I missed you too, and so did they. The only reason why they weren't still here is because they kicked them out after the second day."

"The second day?"

"Yeah. You've been out for three days. It's amazing that your vitals and stats are all basically okay."

Sam coughed. "Yeah. And I got a cold."

Jules rolled her eyes, "Honestly, if that's the worst that has happened throughout all this, I'm quite alright." She sniffled.

Sam grinned back at her as the doctor came in the room. "Well, how are you feeling, Mr. Braddock?" he questioned.

"Better," he said, sneezing. The next thing he knew, Ed was in there and the rest of the team was there.

The doctor smiled. "With everything looking good, I'd like to keep you overnight for observation since you were out for a few days and make sure everything's okay."

"You guys must rack up big business from that," Sam quipped.

The doctor smiled. "We just want to make sure you're safe."

"That's what they all say," Ed spoke up. "Thanks, doctor."

******## break ##**

To be continued-it's not over yet. But I did update!


End file.
